Each year, one of the professors at UTDallas, Callier Center, coordinates a workshop that she calls “SIARC” - which is an acronym for “Summer Intensive Auditory Revitalization Conference.”
Basically, the event pairs hearing-impaired adults with graduate students in the Audiology program and sometimes grad students in the Speech Pathology program. The intent is to provide the students with practical experience/knowledge for working with adults in a longer-term setting than the hour or two they might experience assisting professors with their patients during regular appointments.
A cool side experience is that the adult participants get an opportunity to try out new assistive listening technology, and if not already fitted with hearing aids, a chance to try out a pair of current aids for a few days, in a variety of listening situations, ranging from lectures, one-on-one discussions, visiting with others around the table during meals, and visiting community settings. This year, the activity is a visit/tour of the Arboretum.
If you haven’t had a hearing test recently, that will also be part of the process, and you may get a chance to help plot the test results for a fellow participant in the booth.
Dr. Thibododeau contacted me earlier this week, as they are trying to find a few more participants. (obviously, the pandemic has been difficult for hearing-impaired individuals with so many visual cues hidden behind facemasks…)
If this piques your interest, please take a look at the attached information brochure.
SIARCflyerFinaltoShare (1).pdf (428.2 KB)